Visit with the Watsons

The day after Christmas we went to visit our good friends, the Watsons.

The Watson men enjoying a snack

Little did we know that Dale had received a Power Wheels Gator for Christmas. Dale was very excited to get to drive J around in his new Gator. It is no secret that Jeremiah LOVES his Popa's Gator, so he was in for a GOOD time!

Off they go!

Dale says, "Isn't this SO cool, Jeremiah?!?!"

J is thinking..."Yes it is! I wonder if they'll let me drive this thing?"

And Dale was very sweet to share & let Jeremiah drive. Or at least attempt to. I think they went a whopping 5 feet (maximum!) when J was "driving".

Dale teaching J how to steer.

I'm pretty sure Dale is saying "GO!"

Eventually they switched back, then Dale drove off & got them stuck!

But after following his Daddy's instructions, he got them going again & was so proud of himself!

I'm pretty sure Jeremiah is now hoping for one of these when he gets older.

And Lane was just content to sit in his stroller & snack the entire time.

What a fun time with good friends & all these BOYS!

Brannan Family Christmas (Christmas Day)

We drove into Raleigh late Christmas Eve to spend a few days with the Brannan side of the family. So special to enjoy the holidays with so many family members!

Jeremiah thinks Christmas is a LOT of fun!

Santa came & brought presents.

There was even a rocking horse that neighs & gallops...unsure at first, but he eventually warmed up.

Even with all his new toys, nothing beats getting to play "dentist" in Uncle Todd's mouth!

Showing off some Christmas presents...

  

Great-grandparent Love

Todd sporting his Ram Head

Harry enjoying his new 7-foot long blanket.

Jeremiah opening even more presents!

 

Jeremiah loves Maddie b/c she's a dog that's HIS SIZE!

The newly engaged couple...gotta show off the ring!

 

L-O-V-E

Poor Bax...I think he felt a bit of shame that I made him wear a Jingle Bell collar all day.

This photo cracks me up! Papa George substituted the traditional "Say Cheese" for "Say Sh*t!" just as the picture was snapped...caught us all off guard!

Hanes Family Christmas (Christmas Eve)

The Hanes side of the family celebrates together on Christmas Eve...

eating lots of yummy food

which J definitely approved of!

His big boy cousins both received laptops for Christmas. Jeremiah was pretty excited about their gifts!

  

Sharon "Gigi" George sent up a Moo-Cow for J for Christmas that walks & moos. He wasn't so sure of it at first, but has warmed up to it now.

 

He really liked the ride-on car that Uncle Perry & the boys got for him.

Here's Perry showing off his new hat

Big J trying to shoot me with the Duck from the Duck-Hunter game. Thankfully he wasn't successful (b/c the game was a big flop!)

My favorite gift of the evening was given to Tristan...a pair of slip-on "heelies" that Josh wanted to try out. Check out the following pictures to understand why this was my favorite gift!

   

J & Popa enjoying a box of raisins.

Perry & the boys

Our Family Christmas Pic

Carter Family Christmas

I'll be doing a recap post for each family Christmas gathering in order celebrated. Here's our kick-off post about the Carter Family Christmas Party. I believe they decided this was the 57th year of the gathering - WOW! That means the "old folks" in these pictures were just kiddos when this started. What a great family legacy! When we get together, we eat yummy BBQ first (of course!) and then play "Mean Santa". I'm pretty sure that for about 3-4 years in a row I went home with a tool set that I was less than thrilled to receive. However, this year we ended up with a small shop-vac (which I was truly excited about) and a Wal-Mart gift card. Yay!!

Little J was a wild man that night, enjoying exploring the new space. Here is Nana chasing after him & Popa deciding it was just easier to contain him in a big trash can. =)

 

Maybe he was so hyper because Perry was giving him Sweet Tea!

Having fun with Daddy & Luke

J is giving Luke's daddy, Marty, the side-eye...he's learning young to only pay attention to about half of what Marty says. =)

Looks like it was a TIGHT SQUEEZE for the 3 of them on this bench!

I have no clue why, but Reese (a beautiful 3 year old) kept making this face all night. Hysterical!

Jeremiah's favorite new buddy was Paige (Luke's sister). Such a little mommy!

 

She even sat down to hold him when he was tired at the end of the night. So sweet!